Less than a year after dismissing data center prospect, Mahomet weighs development talks

The Village of Mahomet, Illinois, has announced it is in preliminary discussions with Clean Cloud Energy for a potential data center campus. This marks a change from November 2025, when Village Administrator Patrick Brown indicated no knowledge of such a project and concerns about power availability.

Clean Cloud Energy, based in Austin, Texas, specializes in developing integrated energy campuses for hyperscale data centers, focusing on site and power development rather than long-term operation. The company has faced public scrutiny in Grant County, Arkansas, over electricity, water use, and tax incentives for its 800-megawatt project. Another project in Richmond Township, Michigan, is currently on hold due to a county-imposed data center moratorium.

The Mahomet discussions occur while Champaign County is under a one-year moratorium on new large-scale data center development, approved by the County Board in April. A county task force is examining potential impacts on electricity, water, infrastructure, farmland, and communities to inform updates to the Champaign County Zoning Ordinance.

Mahomet officials are considering potential benefits like a larger property-tax base, construction jobs, and infrastructure improvements, alongside concerns for environmental effects, light and noise pollution, and protection of the Mahomet Aquifer. Any proposed facility would be expected to use a closed-loop cooling system to minimize water withdrawals. No formal proposal, specific site details, or project scope have been publicly released.